The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica: Here, There Be Dragons by James A. Owen

I have to say that this book is definitely one of the best I have read in recent memory. While it is categorized as a Simon & Schuster “Books for Young Readers”, adults will enjoy this book just as much, if not more, that younger readers. The story is full of references to great literary works and authors, the Bible, Sherlock Holmes, Greek and Egyptian mythology, Celtic myth, and King Arthur and Camelot. The story is a great adventure tale which begins with a murder and continues at a break-neck pace to the very end.

It is 1917 during the first world war. Three strangers are brought together as caretakers of the Imaginarium Geographica, an atlas of our world as we know it, along with all the places that exist in fiction, myth and fairy tales. With the atlas and a special ship, all of these lands can be traveled to. The fate of the “real” world and the fictional lands are tied together. The caretakers are trying to solve the problems in both while being pursued by dark forces who want control of the atlas and the world. During the course of the story, the caretakers meet famous fictional characters and travel to many interesting places. In the end, they make discoveries about themselves and each other, and the reader gets to discover just who the caretakers turn out to be.